{"id":1112,"date":"2020-04-16T13:36:34","date_gmt":"2020-04-16T13:36:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/ana-hpmd\/?p=1112"},"modified":"2022-01-26T13:35:43","modified_gmt":"2022-01-26T13:35:43","slug":"three-things-to-consider-when-choosing-a-pediatrician","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/three-things-to-consider-when-choosing-a-pediatrician\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Things to Consider When Choosing a Pediatrician"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Are you expecting your first little one, are you new to the Kendall and Miami area, or have you recently joined <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">TopLine MD Alliance<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">? If so, I know that many parents and parents-to-be like you are looking for the best pediatrician in the Kendall area<\/span><b>. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And choosing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/ana-hpmd\/pediatrician-miami-florida\/\">best pediatrician in miami<\/a> for your family is an extremely important decision that you definitely shouldn\u2019t take lightly. It goes without saying that parents like you are proactively involved and concerned with your children\u2019s ongoing healthcare and medical needs. You want to find a good pediatrician who will be your partner in caring for your children until they reach adulthood. But with so many different pediatric practices in our area, with all your friends and family recommending a variety of doctors, are you wondering how to choose a pediatrician? Through my <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">20 plus years of experience<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> offering the best pediatrics in Miami, FL, I\u2019ve narrowed down a list of three core areas to guide families like yours on how to find a good pediatrician. Continue reading for my suggestions. <\/span><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><b>Your family\u2019s pediatrician will be an important partner in your journey as a parent. He or she will be:<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The one to do newborn checkups.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The physician who attends to the busy schedule of well-checks and immunizations during your child\u2019s first two years of life.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Screen your children to make sure they are meeting developmental milestones.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Care for your child when he or she becomes sick.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Help guide you on important tween and teen health issues such as teen mental health.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can contact my pediatric practice at (305) 614-6429 to learn more about my core values on these topics, and more. To find the best pediatrics in Miami, FL, I strongly recommend you search for a pediatrician whose healthcare values and beliefs are closely aligned with your own.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For example, having practiced pediatrics in our area for more than 20 years, I\u2019ve seen the true benefits of sticking to the vaccination guidelines of the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">) and the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Center for Disease Control (CDC)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> In fact, as I state on my website\u2019s home page, I believe that vaccinating children and young adults is the single most important thing I can do as a healthcare provider to children. Look at the outbreaks of Measles, for example, in recent years in states including California, New York, and along the Oregon\/Washington state border. Dangerous outbreaks like these are preventable when healthy children who aren\u2019t immunocompromised get their immunizations on the recommended schedules. While a small number of children have underlying health conditions this prevents them from being vaccinated. When all healthy children are immunized, our communities achieve herd immunity. We have a very strong resistance against these preventable, and sometimes deadly, diseases.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1115\" src=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/ana-hpmd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/Your-family\u2019s-pediatrician-will-be-an-important-partner-in-your-journey-as-a-parent.-He-or-she-will-be.jpg\" alt=\"Your family\u2019s pediatrician will be an important partner in your journey as a parent. He or she will be\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/Your-family\u2019s-pediatrician-will-be-an-important-partner-in-your-journey-as-a-parent.-He-or-she-will-be-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/Your-family\u2019s-pediatrician-will-be-an-important-partner-in-your-journey-as-a-parent.-He-or-she-will-be-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/Your-family\u2019s-pediatrician-will-be-an-important-partner-in-your-journey-as-a-parent.-He-or-she-will-be-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/Your-family\u2019s-pediatrician-will-be-an-important-partner-in-your-journey-as-a-parent.-He-or-she-will-be-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/Your-family\u2019s-pediatrician-will-be-an-important-partner-in-your-journey-as-a-parent.-He-or-she-will-be-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/Your-family\u2019s-pediatrician-will-be-an-important-partner-in-your-journey-as-a-parent.-He-or-she-will-be-800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/Your-family\u2019s-pediatrician-will-be-an-important-partner-in-your-journey-as-a-parent.-He-or-she-will-be.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>Make Sure Your Chosen Pediatrician Offers a Variety of Pediatric Services and Can \u201cGrow with Your Family\u201d As Your Children Get Older<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sometimes, when parents are wondering how to choose a pediatrician, they\u2019re focused on the healthcare that will be provided to their infants and toddlers. But it\u2019s important to also remember that pediatricians like myself see children from birth to 18 years of age, and sometimes even up to 21 years of age. Your child\u2019s healthcare needs are going to be drastically different when she is six months old to when she is 16 years old. As your children grow over the years, our parent-child\/physician relationship will evolve as well. In your children\u2019s early years, we\u2019ll be focused on making sure he or she meets all developmental milestones and making referrals to specialists if there are any developmental concerns, as well as sticking to the recommended vaccination schedules.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once your children are in elementary school, they\u2019ll only need well-check visits once a year. However, they\u2019ll be surrounded by so many germs at school! My role as one of the best pediatricians in the Kendall area is to help you come up with a strategy to fight off germs before they get your children sick. This includes teaching your children about the importance of regular and thorough handwashing, which is proven to be one of the best defenses to stop the spread of colds and viruses. When your children reach puberty, our relationship will transform again. One area of pediatrics that I\u2019m extremely passionate about is teen mental health. According to the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI),<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">20% of teens ages 13-18 live with a mental health condition<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Knowing that, statistically speaking, One in every five of my teenaged patients has a mental health condition &#8211; which they may not fully understand or be able to express their symptoms to you in order to get help &#8211; is extremely concerning to me. That\u2019s why I make it a priority in my practice to screen all my teenage patients for depression, anxiety, and other mental health diagnoses.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>If You\u2019re Wondering How to Choose a Pediatrician, My Best Advice is to Interview Him or Her First<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I\u2019ve saved my best piece of advice for finding the best pediatrics in Miami, FL for last. Make sure that after you narrow down your choices for a family pediatrician to interview each physician before you select one for your family and transfer your children into his or her care. While you may feel like it\u2019s odd to interview a doctor, the truth is, we interview all sorts of professionals before we decide to work with them. For example, if you manage people at work, you interview new hires before bringing them onto your team. And if you are going to buy or sell a house, you\u2019re likely to interview potential Realtors before deciding with whom to work. The same should be true when choosing a pediatrician for your children. It\u2019s important to meet with your prospective pediatrician before you choose him or her so you can understand his or her communication style and bedside manner, priorities of care, and learn more about his or her pediatric practice. In fact, it\u2019s so common for expectant parents to interview <a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/parenting\/baby\/pick-pediatrician-16\/what-is-a-pediatrician\">baby doctor pediatrician<\/a> before their babies arrive, that I set up prenatal appointments to meet with moms and dads very frequently.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1114\" src=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/ana-hpmd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/If-You\u2019re-Wondering-How-to-Choose-a-Pediatrician-My-Best-Advice-is-to-Interview-Him-or-Her-First.jpg\" alt=\"If You\u2019re Wondering How to Choose a Pediatrician, My Best Advice is to Interview Him or Her First\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/If-You\u2019re-Wondering-How-to-Choose-a-Pediatrician-My-Best-Advice-is-to-Interview-Him-or-Her-First-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/If-You\u2019re-Wondering-How-to-Choose-a-Pediatrician-My-Best-Advice-is-to-Interview-Him-or-Her-First-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/If-You\u2019re-Wondering-How-to-Choose-a-Pediatrician-My-Best-Advice-is-to-Interview-Him-or-Her-First-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/If-You\u2019re-Wondering-How-to-Choose-a-Pediatrician-My-Best-Advice-is-to-Interview-Him-or-Her-First-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/If-You\u2019re-Wondering-How-to-Choose-a-Pediatrician-My-Best-Advice-is-to-Interview-Him-or-Her-First-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/If-You\u2019re-Wondering-How-to-Choose-a-Pediatrician-My-Best-Advice-is-to-Interview-Him-or-Her-First-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/If-You\u2019re-Wondering-How-to-Choose-a-Pediatrician-My-Best-Advice-is-to-Interview-Him-or-Her-First.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>Important questions to ask when you\u2019re interviewing pediatricians include:<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How many years have you been in practice?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What is your policy on vaccinations?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Do you have any specialties (which is of particular importance for special needs families)?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What do you love the most about being a pediatrician?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What advice do you have for me given my children\u2019s current ages and stages?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">By having this type of open and honest conversation with prospective physicians for your children, you\u2019ll be able to find the best match for you and your family\u2019s specific needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>When Wondering How to Find a Good Pediatrician, Always Go with Your Parental Instincts<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To summarize my advice above, the best thing you can do when it comes to choosing a pediatrician for your family is to stick to your mommy or daddy instinct. By searching for a pediatrician whose healthcare values align with yours, who has a practice proven to grow with your family as your children age, and by interviewing potential pediatricians, your internal parental instincts will help you single out the best doctor for your children. I am specialty certified in Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine by the American Board of Pediatrics and the Florida Board of Medicine. Feel free to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">contact me<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and schedule an appointment.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you expecting your first little one, are you new to the Kendall and Miami area, or have you recently joined TopLine MD Alliance? If so, I know that many parents and parents-to-be like you are looking for the best pediatrician in the Kendall area. And choosing the best pediatrician in miami for your family  [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4,22],"tags":[26,24,23,27,25],"class_list":["post-1112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kids","category-pediatrics","tag-best-pediatrician-in-kendall-area","tag-best-pediatrics-in-miami-fl","tag-how-to-choose-a-pediatrician","tag-how-to-find-a-good-pediatrician","tag-how-to-find-a-pediatrician"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1112"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1112\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.toplinemd.com\/pediatrics\/ana-hpmd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}